1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to the field of child care accessories, specifically a hollow-bodied ball with an attached pacifier.
2. Background
Parents and caregivers often use pacifiers to calm down a fussy or teething baby. However, when a baby opens its mouth the pacifier usually falls out and a parent or caregiver has to pick it up and put it back in the baby's mouth. Since babies are in the early stages of development, they have limited motor skills and cannot accomplish this task by themselves. Moreover, it can be very frustrating for both the baby and parent or caregiver when a pacifier repeatedly falls out over a short period of time.
Currently, there are several pacifiers on the market. Some pacifiers have small rings attached to them for easy handling by a parent or other caregiver, such as the Pacifiers for Day and Night Use manufactured by Born Free®. However, even with ring embellishments these pacifiers tend to be small and difficult for a baby or small child to handle or pick up if they fall out of his or her mouth. Traditional pacifiers also offer little interest to a baby or small child when not in the mouth, thus making it necessary for a parent or caregiver to have separate toys on hand to keep the child occupied and content.
What is needed is a large, hollow-bodied apparatus with an attached pacifier nipple such that a baby can hold the apparatus while sucking on the nipple. Such an apparatus can also have a removable teething device and embellishments that can keep a child interested in the apparatus when the pacifier nipple is not in the child's mouth.